NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR

• US 20090072951A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: ROBB, Patricia A., ALBERTH, William P. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,013,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.410
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0062 in RFID [Radio Frequency Identification] Systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber

Abstract

A wireless communication device (200) energized by an electromagnetic field produced by another device, including a near-field activated circuit (210) transmitting an output signal upon exposure to an energizing electromagnetic field, a sensor (230) having an output coupled to the near-field activated circuit, the sensor producing a signal on the output in response to sensing an environmental condition other than the energizing electromagnetic field, wherein the output signal of the near-field activated circuit changes when the sensor changes states.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device energized by an electromagnetic field produced by another device, the device comprising:

a near-field activated circuit transmitting an output signal upon exposure to an energizing electromagnetic field;

a sensor having an output coupled to the near-field activated circuit, the sensor producing a signal on the output in response to sensing an environmental condition other than the energizing electromagnetic field,

the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes information that is dependent on the output of the sensor.

2. The device of claim 1,

the output of the sensor having first and second states, the sensor output changing between the first and second states in response to sensing a change in the environmental condition,

the information on the output signal of the near-field activated circuit changes depending upon the states of the sensor output.

3. The device of claim 2, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes identification information when the sensor output is in the first state.

4. The device of claim 2, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes identification information when the sensor output is in the first state, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes non-identification information when the sensor output is in the second state.

5. The device of claim 2,

the output of the sensor having first and second states, the sensor output changing between the first and second states in response to sensing a change in the environmental condition,

the near-field activated circuit produces no output when the sensor is in the first state and the near-field activated circuit produces an output when the sensor is in the second state,

the output produced when the sensor is in the second state is not product identification information.

6. The device of claim 2, after the sensor output changes states, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes information selected from a group comprising:

an address;

a key; and

a message.

7. The device of claim 1, after the sensor output changes states, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes an address selected from a group comprising:

universal resource locator address, a web address, a geographic location coordinate, a postal address, an email address.

8. The device of claim 1, the sensor is selected from a group of sensors comprising:

a pressure sensor, a light sensor, a radiation sensor, a moisture sensor, a charge sensor, and a conductivity sensor.

9. The device of claim 1,

the output of the sensor having first and second states, the sensor output changing between the first and second states in response to sensing a change in the environmental condition wherein the sensor remains in the second state after transitioning from the first state,

the information on the output signal of the near-field activated circuit changes depending upon the states of the sensor output.

10. A product combined with a wireless communication device energized by an electromagnetic field produced by another device, comprising:

the wireless communication device includes a near-field activated circuit transmitting an output signal upon exposing the near-field activated circuit to an energizing electromagnetic field;

the wireless communication device includes a sensor coupled to the near-field activated circuit, the sensor changing states upon exposure to an environmental condition other than the energizing electromagnetic field,

the output signal of the near-field activated circuit changes when the sensor changes states.

11. The combination of claim 10, the wireless communication device is a tag embedded in the product.

12. The combination of claim 10,

the sensor having an output with first and second states, the sensor output changing between the first and second states in response to sensing a change in the environmental condition,

the near-field activated circuit changes produces a first output when the sensor output is in the first state and the near-field activated circuit changes produces a second output, different than the first output, when the sensor output is in the second state.

13. The combination of claim 12, the first output of the near-field activated circuit includes identification information when the sensor output is in the first state.

14. The combination of claim 12,

the second output of the near-field activated circuit includes identification information when the sensor output is in the first state,

the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes non-identification information when the sensor output is in the second state.

15. The combination of claim 10, after the sensor output changes states, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes information selected from a group comprising:

an address;

a key; and

a message.

16. The combination of claim 10, after the sensor output changes states, the output signal of the near-field activated circuit includes an address selected from a group comprising:

universal resource locator address, a web address, a geographic location coordinate, a postal address, an email address.

17. The combination of claim 10, the sensor is selected from a group of sensors comprising:

a pressure sensor, a light sensor, a radiation sensor, a moisture sensor, a charge sensor, and a conductivity sensor.

18. A wireless communication device, the device comprising:

a near-field activated circuit energized by an electromagnetic field produced by another device;

a sensor having an output coupled to the near-field activated circuit, the sensor changing states in response to sensing an environmental condition other than the energizing electromagnetic field,

the device has a first state wherein information cannot be written to or be read from the device when the sensor is in a first state, the device has a second state wherein information may be read from the device when the sensor is in the second state.

19. The device of claim 18, the sensor is a unidirectional device that remains in the second state after transitioning to the second state from the first state.

20. The device of claim 18, the device has a third state wherein information may be written to the device.